Ravi K alleges irregularities in double cab Tender

Former Finance Minister – Ravi Karunanayake has accused the government of attempting to purchase 1,775 double cabs outside the standard international Tender procedure.

Speaking at a media briefing in Colombo yesterday (Oct. 29), Karunanayake claimed the government has shortened the Tender period to 12 days, disregarding the legally required 42-day period.

He recalled that about 03 months ago, a similar proposal to import 2,000 double cabs, including vehicles for MPs, was brought before Parliament.

“I opposed it then, saying MPs don’t need new vehicles. I told them that if they need to provide vehicles to others, not to import them under the guise of giving vehicles to MPs. The plan was dropped at the time, but now it has resurfaced, this time for 1,775 vehicles instead of 2,000, excluding the 225 MPs,” he said.

According to Karunanayake, the new procurement will cost around Rs.42.8 billion, and the Tender criteria are designed to favor a single bidder, restricting eligibility to companies with an annual turnover of over Rs.10 billion, island-wide service centers, and vehicles with engine capacities of 2,500cc or above.

He alleged that if the government had opted to purchase from local manufacturers, the cost per vehicle would be around Rs.16.5 million. However, under the current plan, a vehicle would cost Rs.24.5 million – a difference of Rs.08 million per unit.

“This is a crime, no matter who provides the vehicles,” he said, questioning the logic behind importing fuel-powered vehicles when electric alternatives would be far more economical.

Karunanayake noted that each diesel vehicle, running just 6-7 km per litre, would cost around Rs.08 million annually in fuel, significantly burdening the economy.

He argued that switching to electric vehicles could cut costs to Rs. 4-5 per kilometre, saving Rs.08 billion per year, or Rs.40 billion over 05 years, “enough to build another Mahaweli hydroelectric project.”

He further highlighted that Sri Lanka’s government already owns about 87,000 vehicles, whereas a developed country like Australia operates only 7,800.

He added that if the government must purchase vehicles, they should be electric rather than diesel, using Rs.08 billion saved on fuel and Rs.16 billion on vehicle costs to build charging centers across Sri Lanka as a national investment.